UK Firm Investing in Plastics Closed Loop Recycling Project

Nampak Plastics announced that it will be investing in a process that aims to allow the company to recycle HDPE plastic back into bottles. The company will operate the new system at its plant in Northeast England. The company expects the output at the plant to increase the production of the company’s 30 percent recycled-content milk bottles by 2009.

The company hopes to have the plant’s equipment operational by the end of next year, and will produce up to 13,000 metric tons of food grade recycled HDPE a year.

Nampak developed the reprocessing technology with WRAP, Dairy Crest, M&S and Nextek.

The HDPE will be supplied by waste management companies and will be used in Nampak’s own UK manufacturing operations to contribute towards the recycled content in its HDPE milk bottles. The company currently produces 2 billion bottles a year.

The news follows the announcement of a recent partnership between Nampak and reprocessor Closed Loop London to produce the UK’s first widely available recycled content plastic milk bottle starting next fall. Nampak intends to use the output from its own plant to augment the supply from other sources to meet its recycled content targets.

Nampak Plastics Europe is one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of rigid plastic containers to the Food and Drink industry. The company currently operates from seven sites across the UK, including five in-plant operations which are situated on customer sites.